Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC Lowers Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lowered its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 180 shares during the quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UPS. Natixis purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after acquiring an additional 5,069 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,853,000 after purchasing an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Finally, Nvwm LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.05.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 5.3 %

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $138.35 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $130.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.15. The company has a market capitalization of $118.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.12 and a 1 year high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 106.36%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.